It's So Noisy at the Fair: The Diabetic Thread

I asked my GP about the newer meds like Jardiance and (yeah yeah I know) Ozempic and she... wasnt dismissive but here I am on metformin anyway.

I'm unhappy with how slowly my numbers are coming down but yesterday and today were promising, 8 last night, 9 this morning. I admit I'm doing almost zero exercise so that isn't helping at all. I WFH and its the middle of winter, lemme alone lol.

I figure the only way I'll ever go on walks is if I get a dog and have to do it out of necessity.

Trayce: how are you making out?

I'll get my first blood test since mid-March next week. Fairly confident: home readings since then have been 5.3, 5.3, 5.4, 5.8, 6.1, 4.9, 5.2, 5.7, and 5.2 tonight. I always test around 10:00 p.m., a couple of hours after a snack. I've gradually brought a bit more bread and pasta back into my diet, and I cheat on snacks (too many more than what I actually have), but mostly remain mindful and within boundaries. When I see my doctor after the test, I'll ask about some of these drugs that have been mentioned.

Seeing a new doctor on the 13th, first appointment since moving cross-country. My numbers have been pretty good, so I feel like it'll go fine, I just need him to write me new prescriptions for all my various drugs.

Thanks for asking Clem :) I'm doing ok! My blood sugars have steadily come down, and I'm now averaging 7-8 MMol on my morning pre-breakfast check. Still a little too high but way better than 15-22!

I've had a couple of booze blowouts in the last week after weeks abstaining, so I'm feeling a bit erghh in the guts, but otherwise doing ok, sticking to a good diet with only one or 2 sneaky hot chip sessions :)

Still yet to see the diabetes clinic (who I gues will go over lifestyle stuff mostly). Also need to go to the optometrist and podiatrist, but am lazy.

You can probably skip the podiatrist unless your feets are giving you very evident problems. An eval from your regular doc just to make sure your toes aren't turning black will do.

Yeah my GP was over-enthusiastic and threw EVERYTHING at me at once - NDSS scheme signup, referal to the podi, diabetes clinic, scrips for diabetes, BP and cholestorol + the strong antibiotics for the infection (all of which at once gave me the most insanely bad LFTs).

Good to hear. I had my orthotics doctor (same as a podiatrist?) check my feet once, no issues; I'll check back once a year.

3-month A1C test today - still holding firm at 5.7 (going on 6 months or more now)

happy with that number as I’d been mildly paranoid that i’d spike up this time around as i’d fallen off the wagon a bit

That's solid, good to hear.

new HbA1c test yesterday - 7.8 :) Still not perfect but much better than before, which I think was 9+? For my first 2 months on meds/better diet I like to think thats a pretty good start. I see the diabetes clinic next week, guess I'll find out wether its good/could be better etc.

And it occurs to me that only 2 of the last 3 months were treated anyway, so that blows the average up a bit. My daily pre-breakfast fingerprick tests are now often down around 6.5-7, and now I see the effects of blowout clearly - one night I had pizza and some hot chips and it went back to 12 :( But it seems to recover quickly which, good I guess?

That's all good, exactly what happened to me. Your first numbers are high, you adjust, and they go down quickly. Scared straight, I think they call it.

Yep, that's how it worked for me...I just realized, 20 years ago now. I was diagnosed in mid-2003.

aw yiss!! that’s great news Trayce! - those lower readings are a good confidence boost that things might finally be working <3

Spoke with a specialist at the Diabetes clinic at my hospital, and woot, theyre making me go on Ozempic. Apparently it'll do good for my poor old abused liver and pancreas too.

The weight loss is an added bonus, should it happen - I was losing weight slowly anyway, I'm down 5kg from when I first got sick and thats with hardly any exersise, just the diet change.

Getting pushed into taking a semaglutide (esp because I’m fat, and weight loss always seems like any doctor’s #1 concern) is what’s putting me off going and getting tested for diabetes. Some of the side effects sound brutal (and chronic, even after you stop taking it). As soon as I heard gastroparesis was a potential side effect, I was like HELL no. I’d rather be fat.

Hm the hospital specialist mentioned nothing aside from gastro issues same as metformin? :/

I read some claim about suicidal ideation but it was literally one case, which could be anything really.

Three-month reading of 5.7, exactly the same as my last one in March. I was hoping to creep down a bit more, but that's okay. I'll continue with Metformin--I was going to ask about some of the drugs mentioned here, but with no problems, I can't see any reason to.

And with my doctor, the faster I can get in and out, the better.

If you're at 5.7 on metformin only, that's the dream.

I had a lazy 6 months and mine went back up to 6.5, even with the Jardiance, so there's apparently a threshold to how careless you can be with your diet. I have to be a little more mindful than I've been lately.

i’m the same as clemenza, metformin only & holding at 5.7

Just did my first Ozempic injection. I'm not even sure I did it right , I carefully did all the steps as the clinic showed me. Was a bit more painful than I thought - I've never had to jab myself before.

Now I am just hoping I dont get the hideous pukearama that many ppl apparently do. Fingers crossed!

good luck trayce! crossing fingers for u

Actual injections? I'd be terrible at that. As I posted above--one of the reasons I only do home-testing every other week now--it routinely takes me three tries to get the finger-prick right. "Sample too small" comes back all the time, even though, to my mind, the sample is clearly not too small.

Yeah actual injections, though at least its a pen all ready-dosed so you're not using a syringe, but still owwie.

this morning I definitely feel completely unhungry, but thankfuly no nausea.

Speaking of finger prick testing, damn the accuchek is shit. I get an error inserting almost every strip and have to retry multiple times. I also bought another brand tester, but I've got used to the Accuchek's nice app.

i haven’t had any problems w my fingerprick setup, except remembering to adjust the needle depth to get better blood flow depending on which finger i stick, since thumb & index have thicker skin

i do it most mornings except sometimes i skip weekends because i get tired of doing it lol

Getting pushed into taking a semaglutide (esp because I’m fat, and weight loss always seems like any doctor’s #1 concern) is what’s putting me off going and getting tested for diabetes. Some of the side effects sound brutal (and chronic, even after you stop taking it). As soon as I heard gastroparesis was a potential side effect, I was like HELL no. I’d rather be fat.

― just1n3, Tuesday, July 18, 2023 3:26 AM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

Hm the hospital specialist mentioned nothing aside from gastro issues same as metformin? :/

I read some claim about suicidal ideation but it was literally one case, which could be anything really.

― Stoop Crone (Trayce), Tuesday, July 18, 2023 4:47 AM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

if this is helpful… gastroparesis is not quite a side effect as much as an intended effect. hopefully any doctor who recommends trying this would explain that nausea and early satiety should be expected, particularly with larger meals. suicidal ideation I have not heard of and per quick review does not seem to be something that has been widely reported

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/27/will-the-ozempic-era-change-how-we-think-about-being-fat-and-being-thin

I’m sure you all have read this, but if not…I thought this was a pretty good lay perspective on ozempic and related drugs (though this is more focused on treatment of obesity, or “obesity”)

Yeah Ive done a lot of reading and I mean I'm not taking this thing for weight loss (I only need to lose about 10kg anyway). It seems ppl who overeat/eat v large meals might be the ones who suffer, and thats def not me - esp since I started having GERD issues. I just cant eat that much food!

The big one for me is gonna be forcing myself to exercise more and by more, I mean AT ALL. Since WFH, Ive become utterly sedentary and a real shut in. I'm lucky if I leave the house at all twice a week let alone walk anywhere much and I have to change that. I was never an active person, but I always walked everywhere.

I have started exercising — I walk around a little bit every day, but now I'm also working with resistance bands (basically a giant rubber band with handgrips on each end) and periodically glancing in the direction of a kettlebell that sits accusingly in the closet.

I'm going to be switching from Toujeo to Lantus this week, because that's what my insurance will pay for, and my doctor wants me to increase my dose of Metformin from 1000 mg in the morning to 1000 in the morning and 1000 in the evening, which is what he says most of his patients take. Gonna be interesting to see how that goes.

1000 x 2/day has been my dosage since I started it, no problems.

If the ozempic doesnt shift me from stubbornly staying around 6-7, I might have to do the same. Well with my GP's say so of course.

After my earlier post I did a post prandial 10 min fast lunch walk, which Ive read is a great way to use the body to chew up the excess glucose. I'm going to start doing that after every lunch if I can manage it.

Weird side effect from ozempic I wasnt expecting - alcohol does not agree with me AT ALL. I was only able to manage 3 stadard drinks and then I felt really off/nauseous. And apparently its A Thing!

It might be temporary who knows, and I'm thankful Ive had no nausea aside from that. I spose its a good thing, anyway.

only 3 lol <3

hahah shaddup :) My average drinking sesh is 5-6 :P

My friend has a similar reaction from metformin, so he stops taking it a day or two before drinking.

That...does not seem wise. Luckily metfo doesnt do that to me. And I mean I need to drink way less anyways. But I'd like to be able to go ham at least one day on the weekend with 5 or 6 drinks yeesh.

I basically quite drinking at 30, when I got into teachers college, so happily that hasn't been an issue for me.

Ugh, having what I assume is a pseudohypo episode today. Hands are shaking and feel irrationally crabby and quite confused, and I'm used to this feeling - Ive had low blood sugar episodes all my life (without being diabetic before, how that works ive no idea).

Checked my glucose - 5.0 not low at all? lol. I guess maybe the ozempic is fully kicking in?

This is a story up here...not trying to be alarmist, just informational; I'm sure stories like this appear regularly. (The CBC is a good news source, for what that's worth.)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/health-canada-review-diabetes-weight-loss-1.6921759

I wonder how many of those are due to people who were using it for weight loss and not getting results or had other terrible issues with dysmorphia. I mean I'm not a doctor so who knows.

Don't know, and ditto. I've got the news on in the background, looked it up after that.

Have not yet doubled my metformin dose but started the new insulin last night and my morning number was significantly lower than the previous day, almost in worrisome territory. We'll see if this holds.

My numbers are staying down too, 3 tests in lst 24 hours all around 5! But I havent pushed it by eating anything bad yet so we'll see.

I finally went to the dr today to get the initial testing done. The driving force for finally going was a symptom that only trayce and veg will understand iykyk :/

I looked up my last tests from 2020
A1c 5.8
EAG 120
Fasting glucose 130

Those results are good - fingers crossed they still are! Though then that leaves you wondering what else it could be :(

I'm struggling a bit on the ozempic - it definitely helps the sugars but I'm having a lot of heartburn, have to really watch what I eat (its like having a mild stomach stapling!), and (and I dont know if this is due to the shot) I now have constant really bad aching joints. Like, I always did anyway but it feels worse lately.

And pain in my kidney/upper ab area flared up the other day and now I'm worried my kidney is still spacking out on me uugggh. I have an ultrasound next week, and I'm not "sick", just feel very old and creaky. This sucks.

ugh that sounds rough Trayce. it sucks to have to grapple with side effects on top of everything else. sending hugs

Got my results
A1c 11.5, good cholesterol too low, bad cholesterol too high, elevated liver enzymes

Dr said at that level, it’s really only ozempic or insulin. However, it’s $1000 a month unless I convince my insurer that ozempic is my only option.

The good news is that what I thought was depression the last few years is probably diabetes.

urg sorry justin3
hopefully you can work something out & get back into safer territory

i didn’t know that depression & diabetes shared symptoms? or maybe more likely i’m not up on everything t2 entails